At Purim, poppy seeds have a decidedly frumpy image — far less glamorous than their competitor: chocolate. But, anyone who has tried poppy seed paste made from freshly ground seeds can attest that it’s nutty, delicious, and worthy of celebration.

The seeds are a Purim staple — often folded into hamantaschen. And, in recent years in Israel, they have managed to break the doughy confines of the triangular cookies, and gracefully dot various cakes, breads, desserts, and more.

One reason for their association with the holiday could be that they blossom from March, around the time of Purim through June, but there are other explanations as well, which you can read about in Asaf Abir’s article “In Search of Lost Poppy seeds.”

If you are cooking with poppy seeds, remember that freshness is key. Be sure to purchase them at specialty spice shops, and if the recipe calls for ground poppy seeds, insist that they are ground on the spot.

Ground poppy seeds go stale quickly and become bitter. If you do not plan to use them immediately, you freeze it for up to a week or so.

On March 20-22, in honor of Purim, the acclaimed Habshush spice shop from the Levinsky Market will grind poppy seeds at the Asif Deli for home bakers. In addition, poppy seed treats from pastry chefs and bakers from northern Israel will be available, such as poppy seed maamouls by Farah Raslan, poppy seed tart by Tosha bakery, poppy seed bread by Lehem Tene, poppy seed croissant by Eldad Shmueli of the Noa bakery, and more.